Kool-Aid Man is a 1983 video game released for the Atari 2600 and Intellivison that was given away as a promotion. Drink enough Kool-Aid and you could get the game for free. As the ad above indicates, you could get the game free if you sent in 125 proof-of-purchase points. I’m not sure how much Kool-Aid that translated into but I suspect it was probably one point per packet with larger point values for larger containers. You could drink slightly less Kool-Aid (30 points) and pay $10 instead.

(Atari 2600)

The game itself is not so great. It is basically an advertisement for Kool-Aid and the graphics and gameplay are simplistic even by Atari 2600 and Intellivision standards. Even as a collectible it isn’t that great. While originally being only available as a promotion, it was eventually released to normal video game outlets so while it is more rare than some games, it isn’t exceptionally hard to come by.

(Intellivison)

Despite having the same name, The Atari 2600 and Intellivision versions are really two completely different games. In the Atari 2600 version, you are trying to spray creatures called Thirsties with Kool-Aid when they try to drink the pool water. In the Intellivision version, you are attempting to locate Kool-Aid ingredients to create the Kool-Aid Man to devour the Thirsties that are trying to hinder your progress. While the description of the Intellivision version may sound better, it isn’t. Neither version is very good but the Atari 2600 had a higher fun level or at least a lower frustration level than the Intellivision version.

The Jetsons’ Ways With Words was designed to work with the Entertainment Computer System (ECS) Add-on for Mattel’s Intellivison. The ECS itself has a pretty convoluted history. From the beginning when the Intellivison was first produced, Mattel advertised the ability to transform it into a computer. However, the so-called Keyboard Component proved to be costly to produce and there were repeated delays as Mattel tried to reduce the cost and overcome other problems. Eventually the FCC got involved and started a fraud investigation. To appease the FCC, Mattel finally developed the ECS which was far less ambitions than the original Keyboard Component. It only came with 2k of RAM instead of 64k, did not include the extra processor the Keyboard Component had and did not include a built-in tape deck (though you could still add one on).

By the time the ECS was finally out the door, Mattel had shifted focus more to software and eliminated further development relating to hardware add-ons. The Jetsons’ Way With Words is one of only six titles that were released for the ECS. The point of the game was to fly around and catch letters in the appropriate order for the word you were trying to spell. ECS features were used in order to allow the user to add their own words and even save and load them via cassette.

As an educational game it wasn’t bad but it was hardly worth the added expense of the ECS (and a cassette deck if you wanted that option). This was generally true of all the games that were released for the ECS. While turning a video game system into a computer has often sounded like a good idea, it has rarely been executed well.